Portugal Young Talents in FIFA 16 Career Mode

In the previous article, we have introduced young football talents in turkey. There’s some quality young talent to be found in Portugal – here are the picks of the bunch.

Even if they haven’t featured heavily in the latter stage of European competitions recently, Portuguese clubs like Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica have a storied history in Europe, and they’re still pretty strong in FIFA 16.

GoalkeeperRaúl Gudiño
Porto’s young Mexican goalkeeper could hardly be in a better position at the start of this season. While he’s not starting for the first XI, he gets to be understudy to Iker Casillas – one of the great shot-stoppers the game has ever seen – and EA has him primed to grow into a top class keeper himself. His positioning and diving stand out as decent stats, but really, he’s not ready for first team action just yet. Sign him up, get him out on loan a bit, and you’ll soon have yourself a solid keeper for the next decade.

Left BackRafa
Like Gudiño, Rafa is very much a work in progress, but invest some time in him and he’ll develop into a competent left back. His stats are well-rounded – he’s quick enough to hold his own against pacey wingers and get forward into attacking positions, and his passing, defending, and stamina are all solid enough to build upon. Train up the key stats, like his tackling, crossing, marking and interceptions, and Rafa will grow up to an 82 overall rating.

Centre BackTobias Figueiredo
He’s slow, he can’t pass and his shooting is atrocious, but Figueiredo is a big, immovable object in the middle of your back four, and he’s already a top class defender at the age of just 21. His defensive stats are all approaching 80 apart from his 74 interceptions rating, and thanks to his 87 jumping stat he’s a real threat at free kicks and corners, and more than capable of rebuffing them too. You’ll need a quicker defensive partner to cover his shortcomings, but if you can work around that, Figueiredo’s defensive stats are unmatched by the time he reaches his 85 overall rating.

Centre BackPaulo Oliveira
At 23 years old, Oliveira is a little older and wiser than the rest of the players in this side, and will cost you more on the transfer market than your average wonderkid, but he’s still more than worth his place. His decent 71 pace rating helps him make up for slower defensive partners like Figueiredo, and he’s a superb defender, as evidenced by his 86 marking, 85 standing tackle and 80 sliding tackle ratings. Like Figueiredo, he’s excellent in the air thanks to his 87 jumping stat, and his 85 overall ceiling is pretty decent too.

Right BackNélson Semedo
Semedo’s potential overall this season is only 82, but after a brilliant 2015/16 season we’re certain it’ll be higher in FIFA 17. Even though he only starts at 72 overall, he’s already pretty viable for a start spot in your first team thanks to his 84 acceleration and 90 sprint speed, and with a decent 75 crossing stat and 79 stamina, he’ll get up and down the right flank for you, providing good support when you’re going forward. He’s not so hot defensively, but if you work on his tackling and marking on the training pitch, Semedo will turn into a quality right back – better than his 82 overall suggests.

Left MidfieldGonçalo Guedes
Perhaps the standout talent in this list, Guedes potential is so high, he even made our FIFA 16 best wonderkids XI, not surprising for a man dubbed as the ‘next Cristiano Ronaldo’. Benfica’s young winger doesn’t have CR7’s electric pace, and he only has three star skill moves, but aside from that he has all the stats to become one of the world’s top midfielders. With regular training and a few decent loan moves, Guedes can grow from 70 to a whopping 88 overall rating.

Centre MidfieldRúben Neves
Rúben Neves is only 18, but he’s already earned two international caps for Portugal, and his quality performances for Porto have put him on the radar of every major club in Europe. Neves is a gifted passer, and his 77 short passing and 78 long passing make him a fantastic midfield anchor, but he’s also a capable tackler thanks to 75 standing tackle and 71 sliding tackle. Best of all, these stats are only going to get significantly better, as he’ll grow from 74 to 86 overall with some training time invested.

Centre MidfieldWilliam Carvalho
You could go for young Benfica starlet Renato Sanches in this spot, but we like William Carvalho as a midfield partner for Neves. Carvalho is your prototypical big, strong defensive midfielder. His 86 stamina means he really gets around the pitch, and thanks to his 88 strength, 86 standing tackle and 86 interceptions, he’s a quality ball winner, and he’s not a bad passer either thanks to 81 short passing and 78 long passing stats. He’s ready to go from the very start of Career Mode, and he’ll grow up to an 88 overall rating in just a few years.

Centre Attacking MidfieldJuan Fernando Quintero/Ryan Gauld
It’s a tough call between ‘Scottish Messi’ Ryan Gauld, and Porto’s Juan Fernando Quintero, but we’re going Gauld, thanks to his Messi-like stats. Although his overall rating is a bit low at first, he still has some crazy stats, including 89 acceleration, 90 agility and 91 balance. His shooting isn’t fantastic, but there’s potential to make Gauld into a potent creator, picking up the ball in between the opposition defence and midfield and causing havoc. Plus, he’s got loads of room to grow – from 73 to 86 overall – so there’s lots of time to mould him into the player you need.

Right MidfieldVictor Andrade
There are a few good right-sided midfielders currently plying their trade in the Primeira Liga, but we’ve chosen Andrade for one reason – pace. His shooting and passing start off fairly average, and his physical stats are poor aside from his 76 stamina rating, but he can fly up and down the wing with the ball at his feet – perhaps not a surprise for a player who grew up in the same Santos side as Neymar and Felipe Anderson. His 90 acceleration and 92 sprint speed are matched by superb agility and balance, making him a serious threat on your right hand side.

StrikerAndré Silva
Silva’s 84 potential isn’t as sky high as some strikers in other leagues, but he’s a good buy for two reasons. Firstly, he starts at just 68 overall, which makes him a cheap pickup with loads of upside in the beginning of the game. Secondly, ignoring his atrocious passing stats, he’s pretty much a perfect blank canvas for you to train into the striker you need – he has solid strength and stamina, a great shot power rating of 78 and he’s quick enough to get around the pitch, even if he’s not a threat in behind opposition defences. Train him up carefully, and Silva can become a quality finisher, or at the very least, a good investment when you sell him on for a significant profit.